1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to holiday ornaments and more particularly, to an improved inflatable Christmas tree ornament including a transparent envelope containing simulated snow and a suspended, interior element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Holiday ornaments having a generally circular cross-section are well known. Among these are the popular hollow, spherical or globular devices adapted to be suspended from a tree limb or the like and which comprise a usually opaque member of either a frangible glass-like substance or which may be constructed of plastics. In either instance, any enhanced ornamentation is limited to coloring of the material of the device or, the application of various designs thereto. Alternatively, the body of the device may be molded in a manner to produce three-dimensional male or female formations.
Alteration of the above described most common types of ornament has included the use of an inflatable spherical member as well as the introduction of disparate elements into the hollow interior thereof.
An example of a hollow Christmas tree ball or ornament containing a figurine therein will be found in German Pat. No. 850,793 issued Sep. 29, 1951 to Schmidt and which discloses a spherical ball formed of two transparent, rigid, semi-spherical sections interlocked together after the suspension of a figurine therein. Unlike the teaching of the present invention, the Schmidt device fails to suggest the use of a unitary, flexible, inflatable globe member or the inclusion of simulated snow as formed by a substance having a natural affinity leading to its random attachment or clinging to the interior of the globe member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,162 issued to Emmich on May 15, 1962 illustrates a Christmas tree ornament depicting a spherical member which may include a design figure embossed thereupon. The rigid member is transparent and contains white flocculent material representative of snow such that when a source of pressurized air is introduced at the bottom of the member, this material is projected upwardly within the hollow interior. The Emmich disclosure is devoid of the instant arrangement wherein a normally collapsed, flexible member is inflated to provide a globe member and contains simulated snow as formed by a substance having a natural affinity leading to its random attachment or clinging to the interior of the globe member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,638 issued Aug. 19, 1975 to Du Bato illustrates the concept of a Christmas tree ornament including a flexible, inflatable member provided with an orifice and sleeve at its upper end for inflation of the member. An adjacent, tethered plug serves to seal the member when inflated with the tether then providing a loop for receiving a hook to attach the ornament to a tree limb. The present invention, on the other hand, provides a suspended figure within a transparent spherical member, together with a material simulating snow and which is selected for its property of inherently randomly clinging to the interior of a hollow member.
Another example of an inflatable ornament will be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,487 issued to Walker on Nov. 9, 1982 and wherein the body includes a pair of joined flexible composite sheets provided with a non-elastomeric layer as well as a reflective coating. The top of the juncture of the two sheets includes a filling valve structure which also provides a formation for hanging the ornament. The current invention differs from the above by its inclusion of a suspended figure within the interior as well as a filling of a simulated snow composition naturally reacting with the material of the member to randomly cling to its interior surface.
Another example of a Christmas tree ornament containing a suspended figurine therein will be seen in U.S. Design Pat. No. 294,128 issued to Patricko on Feb. 9, 1988. The drawings of this reference illustrate a figure suspended within the confines of an expanded, helical element. The foregoing teaching is far removed from the present construction involving an inflated, transparent, flexible sphere having a figurine suspended therewithin, together with simulated snow material selected to be naturally attracted to the interior of the sphere.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in any combination, is seen to even remotely suggest or describe the instant invention as claimed herein.